


Mother of Dragons

by TheKingisaGirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Game of Thrones References, Magical Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-01-25 19:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12539640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKingisaGirl/pseuds/TheKingisaGirl
Summary: Mal and Regina have a parenting discussion and Henry has all the jokes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Oparu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oparu/gifts).



> For Oparu for services rendered (my essay) and just generally being a cutey

“We are not putting your complexes on my children!” Regina had not seen Mal so upset since a month ago when she discovered Henry’s book on the dinosaur excitation.

 

“ _ Your  _ children?” It had to be a slip up.

 

“Our children.” Mal had the decency to sound regretful at least.

 

“We need to keep them safe.” They had been going in circles with this for a hour now.

 

“And you’re going to achieve that by keeping a part of themselves from them?” She said trying her best to get up from the couch. She was pretty large at this point.

 

“Mal, this town is not ready for baby dragons!” Regina said lending her an arm

 

“Don’t be ridiculous they won't change until their 4 or 5! They’ll be toddler dragons.” She said now pacing back and forth through the living room. More like waddling, but Regina would never say that.

 

“Oh, well that’s better.” She shook her head. This woman and her disregard for public opinion.

 

“How can you of all people advocate for growing up without magic…Your mother-”

 

“My mother, did not bind my magic! She terrified me into not using it, and believe me our problems started long before that. Any pedagogy was lost the minute she took out her heart.” Regina said now in earnest. She understood Mal had strong feelings but the would be no twisting of facts.

 

“They’ll be defenseless.” She said her voice going a little higher. Indicating she was now actually getting upset.

 

“They have the two most powerful sorceresses of their times, two dragons and the author to protect them. Not to mention the savior would gladly risk her life for them.” Regina said now taking her hands to stop her from moving.

 

“I...”

 

“Tell me what this is really about. Because I know you. You don’t want them setting the furniture on fire and evaporating into thin before their potty trained either.” She rubbed her thumb soothingly over Mal’s cheek.

 

“I wouldn’t know! I’ve never raised a dragon, Regina. We missed Lily’s hatchling years, she and I both, and I just- Taking that away from them…” Tears shone in her eyes.

 

“And you” Regina finally understood.

 

“ _ And me _ ...seems cruel.”

 

“It’s not forever Mal, and they’ll still be dragons, they just won’t change for the first years.” She leading her pregnant wife back to the couch.

 

She heard Henry snicker behind them.

 

“What, pray tell, is so funny young man?” Regina demanded.

 

“Nothing, umm Mal, Mom is right you still be the mother of dragons.” He said breaking into laughter and leaving the room fast enough not to be reprimanded by his mother.

 

“He’s very strange sometimes.” Mal said setting in next to Regina. Leaning her head on her wife’s shoulder.

 

No argument there.

 

\--------

 

“Regina?” Mal called out of the bedroom.

 

“I’m already on my way. I won’t be long.” She called back putting on her shoes near the door.

 

“Henry, would you go up and keep her some company?” She said quietly.

 

He stepped out of the kitchen with 2 smoothies, one in each hand.

 

“Heartburn.” It wasn’t a question.

 

He didn’t have a lot of experience with this sort of thing but Mal’s pregnancy seem difficult. Although never ever called it that. The conception of the twins had been a miracle itself, so no one, especially not their parents, dared complain.

 

When his mother had left Henry ventured into the master bedroom when Mal sat among a mass of pillows watching what looked like The West Wing. She smiled when she saw him. 

 

“One day I’ll have to make you tell me what is in those.” 

 

He sat down on the side of the bed and handed her hers.

 

“You could, but there’d be no point, I’d still make them for you.” She had heartburn so often they had found a routine. In the beginning Henry had been tempted to make jokes about a dragon with a burning heart, but as it got worse in the third trimester he made an effort to keep her distracted.

 

“Do you think the actors get paid the same if they say their lines very very fast?” She said watching the screen and taking a sip.

 

Before Henry had a chance to answer she cringed and suddenly reached for her stomach.

 

“Drogon and Rhaegal acting up?”

 

Mal let out a pained laugh.

 

“Who and what? Is your mother coming up with strange baby names again?”

 

“Lol. No, don’t worry. Are they kicking?” Henry said taking the smoothy so she could shift positions. Sometimes that helped.

 

“Twin A is.” She said rubbing the top of her belly.

 

“How is Drogon worse than Twin A?” He chuckled and settled in for an episode.

 

\-------

 

“She put them on chains Regina! When they were hatchlings! And then she locked them up and then sent them to war! Like tools!?” Mal said. If she had had the energy she’d have stomped her foot. 

 

She hadn’t even been able to  _ see _ her feet in about 2 weeks. Which Regina though was better because they were very swollen.

 

She was pretty devastated at the moment. And Regina didn’t really know what to do. Lily had shown her Game of Thrones and she had binged watched while Regina was out at the town meeting and Henry was at Grace’s house. 

 

No doubt her son would have prevented this, seeing as he had been making Khalessi jokes continuously. 

 

“I’m sure you are going to do better.”

 

“That is not the point! Is that what he thinks they are going to be?! Scaled tools?”

 

“Mal, no! He’s very excited about getting little sisters.”

 

Mal crossed her arms over her belly and huffed. And Regina sighed. She loved Mal and her being upset hurt. But she also missed the level headed woman she had married. It’s not that she had changed but the pregnancy made her so uncomfortable and anxious and caused pain that things she would usually laugh off became issues.

 

Regina understood. And she was sorry and she did everything she could to fix it. Which is why she marched herself into Henry’s room.

 

He was practicing the guitar and from the shocked look he gave her Regina could tell her frustration was written clear across her face.

 

“Mal is very upset. And Henry I don’t understand. You are usually so sensitive. Why have you been teasing her so? She thinks you don’t see your sisters as babies!”

 

“What? No! I just think it’s cool they're gonna be dragons too. She was worried they weren't going to be “real dragons” so I- I’m sorry Mom, I didn’t mean to upset her.”

 

“She doesn't seem to have a very high option of Daenerys. Her treatment of the dragons is apparently unacceptable. Henry…”

 

“No, I got it I’m sorry! I’ll fix it okay?”

 

“Please do.” She gave him a kiss to his forehead and headed back to her bedridden wife. The last thing she needed was disruption of peace in this house.

  
  


\------------

 

“Hey…” He stood in the hallway waiting for an invitation the next day. 

 

The bedroom door was always open during the day in case Mal needed anything, but he wanted to respect her space.

 

“Hello Henry.” Ma said. Her face was unreadable.

 

“I’m sorry about making jokes. Please don’t be mad.” He said stepping a little closer.

 

“I am not mad. I’m worried. Is this how you see them?” she motioned towards the TV. It was off.

 

“No,” He came into the room and sat on the bed as he usually did. “Okay, see, the thing is, there this tradition among humans, that older brothers are supposed to tease their little sisters. It’s totally a thing.”

 

Mal looked sceptical.

 

“But they also protect them and make them happy. I promise I don’t see them as pets or anything like that. I actually can’t wait to meet them.”

 

Mal expression softened.

 

“I did a thing. For the babies. Can I?” He asked jerking his head towards the door.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Okay, “ He got up from the bead “stay here.”

 

Mal could only shake her head and smile. Where was she going to go?

 

When Henry came back he was holding his guitar. He sat back down on the bed and a seemingly disorganized melody began. And then he started sing. In his scratch teenage voice. It was really more talking in rhythm. 

 

“Little boxes, on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky tacky…”

 

Mal couldn’t hide her smile any longer. By the tie he was finished her frustration seemed to have floated away. Regina was standing in the doorway with tears in her eyes.

 

“It’s not so good I only learned it yesterday, but I read that music is good for the babies…”

 

“It’s beautiful Henry.”

 

“Don’t be made okay? I thought we could add it to the routine?”

 

“That sounds like a good idea. It put them right to sleep.” She said squeezing his knee.

 

She was maybe a bit to protective of them. Having them inside her stomach instead of in an egg made her nervous. They seemed so vulnerable. She only later found out, that Henry in all his big brother glory, was going around town bragging about his little dragon sisters.

 

Maybe even changing a few minds about tiny scaled fire breathing babies.


	2. The Hoards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins are growing and thriving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just cause...

It had started when they were 3, and as much as she hated to admit it. Regina was right. They were still just as much dragons as if she had hatched them from their own eggs.

For Hestia it was spoons. She got around every baby lock and security measure her mothers put up and stole them one at a time. She had patience and could wait. She picked only the prettiest ones. She had talked ruby into letting her see the kitchen at Granny’s and took 3 there. Granny had let her. The jingling in her jacket had been noticeable. It drove Regina up a wall. Every time she asked Henry to set the table she needed to count to 10 to calm herself. All in all, she had thought she was a very patient parent. That's because Henry's issues had started later. He had been a true prince at this age.

For Adriana it was books. The twins hadn’t even learned how to read yet but one day she just freed them both of them from their playpen, went into the study and started stacking books into her crib. She could only really carry one by one but she must have made several trips and her sisters help because, by the time Henry awoke from his nap, she had about 12 books piled up and the lowest rows of Regina’s bookshelves were beginning to look empty. She was taking coloring books from Neal and even a soft chewable book from Gideon. There was no selection process for her. The more the better. She didn’t care if they were old first auditions or brand new.

At four it was CDs and records for Adriana and stuffed animals for Hestia.This is when Regina noticed that no matter how much she desired them, Hestia would never take a plushie from her sister of the little bear Henry had won Lily at the fair that year. Lily learned that they were not up for fun when it came to food. Although Regina tried to blame the biting on teething...

“It’s bad taste to take from what might be another hoard.” Mal explained to them. Over dinner. Bit by bit they were learning about dragon culture.

Regina learned to feel their temperature by hand because the thermometer was not suited for dragons. Henry learned that their ability to sleep on anything meant his job as a big brother included picking them up from ottomans and from under desks when they missed naptime.

At five Hestia had moved on to toads and frogs while Adriana was snatching blankets all over the house. Henry had brought up the idea of a family pet, now that the girls were getting older. And Lily had bought a terrarium on a whim (and Regina was convinced, to punish her for something). By the time summer came along, they had to graduate to a little pond outside in the garden as to avoid animal cruelty. 

That fall, Henry complained of nearly freezing to death one night only to find Adriana crawled up in a fort under a mountain of blankets. Regina made him a hot cocoa and promised to go out and by new ones the next day. She under no circumstances wanted to inhibit their budding dragon behavior. After they had a talk to both of them explain that their hero of a big brother did not have an internal furnace like they did, Henry had to sleep with a fan on. His baby sister got up early every morning to top him off with the fluffiest warmest blankets in her hoard.

At six the twins started magic lessons. For supervised hours at a time, the matching bracelets were removed so they could learn their craft and take little flying lessons with either Lily or Mal. In an open field. Far away from town. And with a strict no solo flying rule.

They loved it. And they were learning so fast. Magic lessons in the vault, sometimes with Regina’s star student the savior. Lily showing them to breathe fire. It made Mal’s heart fill with pride. She had never raised dragon’s before but she was sure they were ahead of schedule and above average with everything they did.

When they started school it was with a whole new batch of Storybrooke babies, born from happy endings, that were really happy beginnings.

**Author's Note:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_2lGkEU4Xs
> 
> In case you don't know it.


End file.
